RLA Pastor's blog

She was on the verge of a great escape! Life lay before her; death behind her. Dark, ominous clouds of judgment hung heavy over the doomed city of Sodom. Along with its sister city of Gomorrah, Sodom would soon be no more. Its name would be given to the abomination that brought its downfall, and its memory would stand as a timeless reminder that, “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).Sodom and Gomorrah were going down. But as I said, she was on the edge of a great escape. Two angels were sent to remove the woman and her family from the city. Urging them to escape to a place of safety, one of the angels said, “For I cannot do anything until you arrive there” (Genesis 19:22). God’s judgment was on hold until Lot and his family got out of Sodom. Through the city streets and through the gates they ran. In their haste to escape they left all earthly treasures behind. Gone was the house with its belongings. Gone were the positions and privileges in the city they worked so hard to attain. Gone were the friendships they had formed. Sadly, they even left behind loved ones who refused to believe the message of the angels.So they ran – the man, his wife, and two of their daughters. But just as they were making their escape, Lot’s wife began to fall behind. Her pace became slower and slower, until finally she stopped. A great battle was raging in her heart. She knew that her life depended on getting as far away from Sodom as possible, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what she was leaving behind. And then, very slowly, she turned to steal one final look. It was the last thing she ever did for God judged her on the spot. She was frozen in a backslidden position – a statue of salt staring with sightless eyes forever looking back.Lot’s wife did not fail because of unbelief. Along with her husband, she believed the message of the angels. Neither did she fail for lack of response. Lot’s wife acted on what she heard. She was a doer of the Word, not a hearer only.

Lot’s wife failed for one reason – she looked back! Yes, it was an act of disobedience for the angels expressly warned them not to look back at the doomed city (Genesis 19:17). But it was more than that. The backward look indicated a divided heart. It revealed double-mindedness. For that she was judged.

As believers today we are living on the verge of the greatest escape of all – the Rapture of the Church. As it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, so it is today. Sin is rampant and the heavens are pregnant with judgment. Very soon the Lord Himself will return to remove His Church prior to the period known as the Great Tribulation. It is not God’s will that His people be consumed in the punishment of the wicked (Genesis 19:15). As the angel said to Lot and his family, the Lord cannot and will not release full judgment until His people are safely removed from the earth (Luke 21:36).The imminent return of Christ is near. Our means of escape is on the way. We are almost there! So, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Hear the message she preaches over and over again. Oh yes, those lifeless lips have been preaching a message from the moment she was frozen in judgment to this very day – DON’T LOOK BACK!Pastor Todd Weston